Submitted by:
Angela Watson

In this STEM lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 6-12, students will analyze a slideshow of the 10 best careers of the future. Students will use BrainPOP and other internet resources to research one of these careers, or design their own career based upon the most pressing 21st century needs identified in the slideshow. Each student will create an individual slide and description based on his or her selected career to create a collaborative slideshow about STEM careers of the future.

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.6

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.6

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.8

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.9

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 06, 07, 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.9

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Students will:

Analyze and discuss a slideshow of the 10 best careers of the future.

Use BrainPOP and other internet resources to research one of these careers, or design their own career based upon the most pressing 21st century needs identified in the slideshow.

Create an individual slide and description based on his or her selected career to create a collaborative slideshow about STEM careers of the future.

Lesson Procedure:

Project the Popular Science slideshow called 10 Best Jobs of the Future. Talk about each job as you click through the slideshow. Have a student volunteer create a list of the needs that these jobs will meet, and keep the list visible for students during their project.

Guide students to understand that a large percentage of 21st century jobs have not yet been invented. Ask students how researchers might have come up with these job titles and descriptions. How do they know we will one day need animal migration engineers, mind-reading technologists, or galactic architects? Facilitate a conversation about how jobs are created out of identified needs throughout the world.

Ask students if they would be interested in pioneering the field for any of the careers they just learned about. Have them to turn and talk with a partner, and then write down one career from the slideshow. You may want to give students the option of creating their own future job and job title related to the needs researchers tell us we'll encounter later in the 21st century. Refer students to the list created by the class during the slideshow.

Ask students what school subjects they think they would need to excel at in order to one day be involved in these careers of the future. Guide students to see the connection to STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math.

Tell students they will be creating a class slideshow about future careers. Each student (or pair of students) will create one slide with a student-generated image (or video), a job description, an explanation of why the job is needed, and a list of the skills/training that would be useful in obtaining the job.

Show students the list of engineering and technology movie topics available in BrainPOP and inform them that this will be the starting place for their research. Which topics are most closely related to the field or career they'd like to learn more about?

Have students select 2-4 movies and explore the related FYI features. You may want to provide a form for note-taking. Remind students to make note of any information that would be helpful to them in creating their slide and description.

Challenge students to conduct further research on the internet. The Stem Career Website might be a useful tool. Encourage students to get in touch with people who are working in fields related to the one they are researching--they may want to conduct a Skype interview to learn more about the career's potential and the realities of working within the field.

Provide time in class or at home for students to create their slide and description. They may want to use digital drawing tools to create the image, or take a photograph. Have students upload their image and copy and paste their description into a class Google Presentation or other collaborative tool for creating slideshows.

When the slideshow is assembled, show it to the class and allow each student to present his or her slide. Facilitate a discussion about the inter-relatedness of many of the career paths, and help students make connections to things they are currently studying in school.

Encourage students to self-reflect on the assignment and what they learned about future careers in STEM fields. You may want to make the slideshow available on your class or school website so that family and community members can view and comment on it.